Two-story condos would be swapped out for single-level units in the project on Ashland Avenue.

The developer of a Lincoln Park condominium project wants to swap out the two-story floorplans for single-level layouts, which have been selling faster at another of the firm's projects.

The change at the Parker, which got underway on Ashland Avenue in early 2016, would increase the number of units from 53 to 57, said Alex Zdanov, president of the development firm, Interforum Holdings.

Eliminating the internal staircases in two-story units and making some other changes to the interiors, without changing the facades, would capture enough space for the added units, he said. All the units would be over 2,000 square feet.

The proposed change is being mulled by the neighborhood association, West DePaul Neighbors, according to Paul Sajovec, chief of staff for Ald. Scott Waugespack (32nd). Once the group responds, a community meeting may be scheduled, Sajovec said.

"The location isn't close to a CTA station and so density is a concern," Sajovec wrote in email to Crain's. A previous developer's plans for the site never took off, in part because the proposed density was too high for the neighbors' group.

Zdanov said the first four buildings of a proposed 11 are complete on the site, just south of Diversey Avenue, but that sales there have been slower than Interforum's project on Halsted Street, about a mile and a half east.

The Halsted project, called L3, launched about eight months earlier than the Parker with all single-level condos, and "sales there have been phenomenal," Zdanov said.

On Halsted, 18 out of 24 units are sold or under contract. Of the 17 completed or nearly finished units on Ashland, eight or nine, or about half, are sold or under contract, Zdanov said.

"We decided to change what we're doing on Ashland to be more like what we're doing on Halsted that's getting better sales velocity," Zdanov said. The proposed changes also include adding more parking, including elevators in the buildings and changing the name to L4.

The initial proposal to include two-level units in the buildings was "what we saw the community wanted," Zdanov said, but more recent research indicated that buyers prefer a single-floor layout.

The name "The Parker" still would apply to the four existing buildings, Zdanov said.

Earlier this summer the site was listed for sale, but Zdanov said the listing is being cancelled this week.